Hello,I'm new to CW (3 yrs), but I practice a lot and get my QSOs have around 20 wpm, have an average of three QSOs per day, after much struggle I made my record in LoTW, something hard to do now after 600 LOGs sent, have 17 DXCC entities confirmed. Anyone of you have attained a degree using only LoTW DXCC?, What should I do? I'm on the road?Thanks for your attention, 73.

An easy way to get more than 50 countries confirmed in a single weekend, is a DX contest (e.g. CQ WPX... coming up May 26.). 3 QSO's a day is decent outside a contest, but in a DX contest you'll be able to do 300 in a day, no problem.

LOTW confirmation rates in contests is higher than in general QSO'ing. Still not 100%, but close to 50% for CW contests.

Contests generally are moving along at 25-28 WPM but higher in the CW band there are some who are slowing down, and a plus is that generally those running will be sending their calls and exchanges frequently so you get many chances to decode their call.

Now getting more than 100 confirmed just in contests, that's hard. (Not impossible, others regularly work more than 100 DX entities in a single contest, but I'm not there yet! Typically I'm at 70 or 80 entities per contest.) But with a little effort to find the DXpeditions especially DXpeditions that confirm by LOTW or even better confirm quickly by LOTW (there are several guys who confirm same day even when on a rock in the middle of the ocean) you can hit 100. With the web you can browse DXpedition schedules and plans.

Yes, there are many of us with all-LOTW DXCC :-). I'm just 12 QSO's short of 5BDXCC via LOTW only confirmations.

Yes you can do it, just takes a little patience. As stated earlier, just work the same countries over and over as the opportunity arises until you get the QSL. I have both DXCC and WAS confirmed by just LoTW. I use N3FJP’s logbook and at the end of the day upload my contacts to LoTW and the next morning I download them. Works great for me. When I was working for the awards it was always a thrill to see a new QSL show up. Eventually you will have them all. Good luck to you and have fun.

I earned DXCC last year using LotW only. It only took about eight months of relatively casual operating and dabbling in four big contests. No amp, simple wire antennas in a very small back yard. 90% CW. (I'd still be working on it if it was all SSB!)

DX Lab software helped quit a bit (as did excellent conditions last year). The logger (DX Keeper) is very LotW and awards-pursuits friendly, and the software has a feature to help you visually identify DX (from the clusters) that you need that also is registered with LotW. I can't say enough positive things about this free software.

I earned DXCC last year using LotW only. It only took about eight months of relatively casual operating ...Good luck! I had so much fun getting my DXCC, and before last year never thought I would earn it.

Nathan, I agree with Geoff--and just wanted to point out that you'll find it easier to get that first DXCC via LOTW than you would if you were doing it with paper QSLs, in my opinion! I hit 100 countries worked nearly 20 years ago but never bothered sending in cards. It was only when LOTW made it so easy that I finally applied for DXCC! I only had 2 CW contacts in LOTW as of last winter, but started using CW again for fun. Just like Geoff did, operating casually and playing in a few contests has brought me 75+ countries on CW without even trying hard! It'll be easier than you think, Nathan! 73 GL! --ken ac4rd

Yes you can do it, just takes a little patience. As stated earlier, just work the same countries over and over as the opportunity arises until you get the QSL. I have both DXCC and WAS confirmed by just LoTW. I use N3FJP’s logbook and at the end of the day upload my contacts to LoTW and the next morning I download them. Works great for me. When I was working for the awards it was always a thrill to see a new QSL show up. Eventually you will have them all. Good luck to you and have fun.

Paul/W8CQU

Once you have all the setup bugs worked out, the N3FJP software is blessedly simple to use for LOTW. I have been doing CW seriously for about 6 months and have over 60 confirmed via LOTW the CW-WPX contest was a bust for me. A stupid rabbit ate my coax so that kinda screwed me. BTW I have 134 countries confirmed CW/phone on LOTW. I have only been a ham for a year. Keep getting QSOs and the DXCC will come sooner than you think. FWIW I get a few confirmations a month that are over 6 months old. It seems to me that patience is the most important skill in confirming DX. Good luck. See you on the bands.

I just checked my LOTW total and see that I just turned over 302 that way. It certainly does save a lot of money! In a couple of cases, I received the LOTW confirmation within 24 hours. On the other hand, a couple of months ago I received a card from a QSL I sent out over 20 years ago. With the high confirmation rate from LOTW in contests, I'll bet it's possible to confirm 100 these days via LOTW in a single contest - but it wouldn't be easy.

Hello, after a few months, I have already submitted QSO 1520, 280 of these were QSL, which resulted in 49 DXCC entities confirmed, WPX not served to me, that is a hell, HI, keep on fighting, patient ...QRV 73 es QRVNathan PS7HDSKCC # 8094C

I never took DXCC seriously until LotW. I have shoe boxes full of QSL cards (which I charish) but I earned my DXCC CW via LotW only QSLs a few years ago. Most of these QSO's were with QRP and at most 100 W from my antenna restricted city lot. You'll find that some activities have higher LotW return rates than others. It seems to me that the larger contests have much higher LotW QSL rates.

If I can do it then it must not be that difficult. Good luck with your LotW DXCC!

An easy way to get more than 50 countries confirmed in a single weekend, is a DX contest (e.g. CQ WPX... coming up May 26.). 3 QSO's a day is decent outside a contest, but in a DX contest you'll be able to do 300 in a day, no problem.

LOTW confirmation rates in contests is higher than in general QSO'ing. Still not 100%, but close to 50% for CW contests.

Contests generally are moving along at 25-28 WPM but higher in the CW band there are some who are slowing down, and a plus is that generally those running will be sending their calls and exchanges frequently so you get many chances to decode their call.. . .

+1.

Two other suggestions:

. . . Get CW decoding software -- CWGet, fldigi, etc.

. . . Get "RufzXP", and practice with it.

That will make it easier to copy the frequent contest signals at 30+ wpm. [CW decoders are considered "out-of-bounds" by some people.]

I can't converse much faster than 20 WPM, and at speeds above that can't do it for long, but I can copy a callsign at 40+ WPM, thanks to RufzXP.

And yes to DXLab software suite. Among its many uses is to show you where the DX that you need is and whether or not they are an LotW user. My LotW return rate was very high once I figured out how to use DXLab software. I'm sure it would have taken me at least twice as long to earn my DXCC without it.

I, and a lot of other guys were always sloppy in filling out logs. Lotw requires .5 hour matching in time, so a lot of QSO's are not confirmed, when you sent in your sloppy logs, not remembering about UTC (GMT) local time, or summer time (daylight savings time) .

However when you submit them again and again with .5 hour difference each batch, the catching rate increases above any reasonable expectation.

You will probably not believe, but over the years I got a lot of paper QSL's via bureau of QSO's I never made. It happens one time that I heard my own call on 80 used in CW by another guy.

So I easily could apply for DXCC unlis.

You could say, why is a guy using your call in CW and not getting his own license, that was when CW was still required. I wondered too, but I think I know the answer. Some commercial or military telegraphist too stupid to learn the simple technical requirements. I am pretty sure, because there are here in the Netherlands novices with a PD call active with CW because they are ex RO, but they are hardly or not able and studying for a year already to perform the test for the full license. No problem they have restricted band use, but work everywhere in each ham band they want , and their appliances are suited for, with CW, because the local FCC is not interested at all, (probably not able to copy their sigs...) , they prefer consuming coffee during paid labor time, bought in the Amsterdam coffeeshops.

Thankful for the tips, have caught the RufzXP and is now practicing copy call.My station setup and my way of operating are not the most "aggressive" which might accelerate the achievement.Rig FT897D pwr 50w ant dipole es G5RV jr,not have a very competitive spirit, hi, but I enjoy a lot,ok, no decoders, I have no computer at the station.If it becomes too easy to lose the charm, hi. (google translate)73 ES QRV

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